29/05/2012. Exxon's new head of Australian and New Zealand refining, Andrew Warrell, said that while there were no plans to close the Melbourne refinery, threats to the industry were real and the Gillard government's carbon tax would bring further strain.
Mr Warrell said the carbon tax was putting structural pressure on the industry at a time when it was already struggling.
The disadvantage would grow as the government's compensation shrank by 1.3 per cent a year, he said.
"We can't blame all of that (the refinery closures and reviews) on the carbon tax, but we can certainly say the environment that has been established hasn't been conducive to those ongoing businesses."
The Exxon refinery supplies half of Victoria's fuel and employs 350 people.

17/02/2012. The Caltex refineries at Sydney and Brisbane, its 800 employees and 650 contractors, face an uncertain future after the company yesterday slashed $1.5 billion off the value of its two refineries in Kurnell and Lytton to just $340 million.The two refineries produce almost a third of all Australian petroleum products. This news comes only seven months after Shell announced it would shut its Sydney refinery at Clyde, turning it into an import-only terminal.Like Shell, Caltex is not suggesting its decision has anything to do with the carbon-tax, due to start in July 2012. However, refining being a highly carbon intensive activity, it would be unlikely that the tax is not being taken into account.It is highly probable that Caltex, like Shell, would convert the refineries into import-only terminals, importing the finished products from Singapore, where there is no carbon-tax.

Rates on Hold

07/02/2012. The Reserve Bank Board has left the official cash rate unchanged at 4.25%. In response, the Australian dollar gained halve a percent to 1.0785, the highest since August of 2011.
Good for imports like crude oil; bad for exporters like farmers, manufactures, miners and tourism.

27/01/2012. In NSW most students go back to school on Monday 30th of January. However: NSW School zones will be back in force for term one on Tuesday 27 January 2012.
(for dates, School Zone speeding and parking offences)

01/11/2011. The Reserve Bank has cut official interest rates by 0.25%, the first time in 2 1/2 years, to 4.25%.
This will cut approximately $16 per month for every $100,000 borrowed on a mortgage.
Good news for mortgage holders and retail.
Good news for farmers and miners, as the dollar is likely to decrease against the US dollar and most commodities are traded in US$. As a consequence of a lower Australian dollar, farmers and miners will receive more Australian dollars for their exports.Not so good for motorists as crude oil is also traded in US dollars and the lower $A is likely to increase petrol prices by about 5 cents per litre or $12 per month for the average motorist.
The big winner: Government; more income tax from miners, farmers and retailers; more GST on petrol.

12/04/2011. Shell today announced a proposal to convert its Clyde Refinery and Gore Bay Terminal in Sydney Australia into a fuel import terminal.
Shell claims the 75,000 barrel per day Clyde Refinery is no longer competitive against new mega-refineries in the region.
Although the carbon tax was not mentioned, we feel that it would have played a roll in their decision.
Oil refineries will qualify for free carbon permits, but not enough to cover all carbon emissions.
Shell proposes to convert the site to an import-only terminal, most likely from its mega-refinery in Singapore.

03/02/2011. 04/02/2010. BBC News 3 Feb 2011: Oil giant Shell has reported profits almost doubled from US$9.8bn to US$18.6bn for 2010, partly thanks to rising oil prices and output.
For the final quarter Shell made profits of $5.7bn, compared with $1.2bn for the same period in 2009.
The fourth-quarter results are in line with rival BP, which earlier this week reported a profit of $4.6bn for that period, although the cost of sorting out the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico left BP with an annual loss.

26/01/2011. In NSW most students go back to school on Friday 4th of February. However: NSW School zones will be back in force for term one on Friday28 January 2011.
(for School Zone speeding and parking offences)

Someone famous once said:

Victoria Hospital Chaos

10/07/2013. 17 of the 47 ambulances on duty in Melbourne on Monday night were effectively off the road. These ambulances, with their highly skilled medical staff, were waiting for up to two hours, with patients, still on-board, outside hospital emergency rooms.

Waiting because there were no beds available, in either the emergency department or main wards.

On the 23rd of June paramedics took a 71-year-old man to the Frankston emergency department with chest pain. This gentleman was forced to wait on an ambulance trolley for two hours outside the hospital.

Nearly a third of heart attack victims never make it to hospital in time to receive proper treatment. Patients' chances of survival are greatest if given prompt medical treatment during the first hour, the golden hour, from the onset of a heart attack. The heart muscle starts to die within 80-90 minutes after it stops getting blood.

Unfortunately staff at Frankston Hospital could not find room to treat him and arranged (after 2 hours) for transfer to the Monash Medical Centre.

He died in transit.

This is terribly distressing for paramedics, hospital staff and family, knowing his death might have been avoided had he received proper medical attention when he first arrived at the emergency room.

However this is by no means an isolated case.

Last week premier Denis Napthine issued an apology to the family of an 85-year-old woman who was unable to receive treatment at seven Melbourne hospitals and who was forced to wait nearly four hours for treatment after suffering a suspected heart failure.

Last month, Parliament was told that an 89-year-old World War II veteran spent more than seven hours on a stretcher at Frankston Hospital suffering from dangerously low blood pressure and a urinary tract infection.

There is not a shortage of ambulances, or indeed emergency room beds.
The problem lies once patients are stabilised in the emergency room and require admittance into the hospital proper.
There are just not enough beds in the main wards.
Or to be more precise; there are enough beds; however, there is not enough money to pay for the doctors and nurses to staff these fully equipped, empty wards.

No money; yet the Federal Government spent $155,000 of tax payers' money on an advertising campaign promoting the Federal Government's decision to return $107 million to Victorian hospitals. The same $107 million they quietly took out only last year.

Or the $10 million of taxpayers' money (from the Health budget) spent on a pre-election advertising blitz of Government programs.

We believe that the Government should spend this money on employing nurses and doctors and open these wards.
Better still, the Federal Government should make more beds available in nursing homes, (a Federal Government responsibility) to free-up beds in hospitals (a State Government responsibility).

24/05/2012. Norsk Hydro senior vice-president Olaf Wigstol announced yesterday the Kurri Kurri plant near Newcastle would be mothballed within three months and that many of the 344 remaining employees would be made redundant.
Greg Combet, the local member and the federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, stated in a press release: "today’s announcement has been driven by current financial losses that are unrelated to the carbon price"
This is contrary to the press release from Norsk Hydro, which does appear to blame the carbon tax, at least in part.
"Following a thorough review, it is clear that the plant will not be profitable in the short term with current market prices, while long-term viability will be negatively affected by a number of factors including increasing energy costs and the carbon tax."
The company plans to mothball the Kurri Kurri plant until conditions improve.
Mister Combet stated he was "especially concerned for the workers and their families."
The carbon tax starts on 1 July.

21/05/2012. Qantas is axing 500 jobs and reviewing hundreds of maintenance positions after reporting a sharp fall in first-half profit.
The airline made $42 million in the six months to the end of December, down 83 per cent on the $241 million it made a year earlier.
Mr Joyce blamed industrial action, which led him to decide to ground the airline's entire fleet last year, and high fuel costs for the profit slump.
Although the carbon tax was not mentioned, under the carbon tax, the excise on kerosene used in aircraft will nearly triple from 3.556 per litre to 9.536 cents per litre.
This increase might not sound a lot; however, a 747 has a fuel capacity of about 216,000 litres. The carbon tax will add nearly $13,000 to a tank of fuel.

Become a Foundation Member of the Cheaper Petrol Party today
(It's free for the first 2000 3500 applicants!)

01/05/2012. After the weakest retail annual growth in almost 28 years the Reserve Bank has cut official cash rate by 0.5% to 3.75%.
Good news for mortgage holders IF the banks pass this on. Better still if banks pass this on to struggling (small) business.
The reduction should also reduce the A$, which in turn would help farmers, manufacturers and miners.
A one cent reduction in the exchange rate should cut $500 of a $50,000 car exported to the USA saving jobs at local car manufacturers like Holden.
In fact if the Government really wanted to save jobs, they should cut their spending. Interest rates are high, and therefor the exchange rate is high, because the Federal Government continues to borrow money, in competition with home-buyers and business.
The Federal Government is currently borrowing $100 million dollars per day. That is equivalent to over 300 average ($300,000) mortgages each and every day.
When the Government stops their spending, it is no longer competing for funds with home-buyers and business. Interest rates would come down, exchange rate would come down and banks would have to increase their staffing instead of reducing it.

20/03/2012. According to the Government, iron ore and coal miners will pay an additional $10.6 billion over three years.
The tax is designed to raise an additional 30% on profits over $75m and will be used to increase compulsory superannuation contributions, pay for infrastructure and provide a 1% income tax cut for business.

We are not against a "Super Profit Tax" on minerals, after all they are owned by all Australians; however, there are some fundamental problems with this tax:

The largest miners will pay very little, because of the deal they did.
Miners can revalue already depreciated assets and use this as an offset against future profits.(In the case of BHP and RIO, this amounts to nearly $2 billion)
Miners can offset Royalties paid to State Governments.
State Governments will simply increase Royalties and Canberra will pay for it.
Miners might pay more tax; however, it is unlikely the Federal Government will see much of it.

Furthermore, the amount of tax if highly unpredictable, as it depends on the value of the Australian dollar and the value of the commodities and for the Government to start spending the proceeds of this unpredictable tax is fiscally irresponsible.

A 1% tax-reduction, which only applies to companies, not sole traders or partnershipsHowever, only one third of small business are companiesOnly half of these make enough profit, to pay any taxThe increase in super contributions are paid for by the employer, (not government) including those employers who do not get the 1% tax reductionThis may lead to job-cuts, not from miners, but from small business

The tax will be challenged in the court, costing the taxpayer millions, as the minerals are owned by the States not the CommonwealthIf miners earn less (after-tax) profits, then so do our Superannuation Funds - we may contribute more into super, but it is worth lessThe infrastructure improvements are for the ports and (freight) rail. It will do nothing to fix the congestion on our roads

18/02/2012. A bill to reduce private health insurance rebate has passed through the senate.
According to the Government, this bill ensures that the lowest paid workers are not subsidizing the private health insurance of "Millionaires".
We wonder how valid this argument is.

The lowest paid workers, up to $16,000, do not pay any tax, let alone subsidize the "Mega-Rich".
Someone earning a million dollars is paying the top rate of tax. see tax calculator

Over $423,500 in income tax $15,000 in medicare levy (in addition to their private health insurance) $10,000 ($15,000 from July)in medicare levy Surcharge (if they do not have private health insurance) and over $9,000 in flood levy.

In total they pay almost $450,000 (nearly half their income) in tax.

These Mega-Rich were only getting some, about $1000, of their tax back.

We believe that the greatest burden of tax should be on those who are best able to pay.However, keeping more people in the private health system takes the burden off the public system for the rest of us.

Inevitably some people will drop out of private health insurance and will be queuing for the already under-resourced ailing public system, resulting in even longer waiting lists.

The result is that the Government has to pump millions into the public system, just to maintain the status quo.

When people leave the private funds, the remaining members, including those on low incomes, will have to pay increased premiums. Ironically, for all but the "Mega-Rich", 30% of that increase will be rebated by the Government.

Those who decide to stay with their private insurance (pensioners, families with young children) but miss out on part or all of the rebate, will have to find the additional premium plus an extra $1000 to pay their premiums.$1000 they now cannot spend in our struggling retail industry.

Perhaps this is good for the budget, for the rest of us:... Not so much.

Do something about global warming?

01/12/2011. Just 2 days after the Gillard Government announced plans to slash billions of dollars in public spending as part of a savage mini-budget, the base salary for even the most junior parliamentarian will jump nearly 30% from $140,910 to at least $185,000.
Treasurer Wayne Swan, the deputy Prime Minister, will earn about $370,000, an $83,000 rise.
Finance Minister Penny Wong, who has been busy slashing spending, will earn an increase of $70,000, boosting her pay to about $310,000.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard's salary will jump $115,000 to around $481,000 and Peter Slipper gets a pay rise of almost $70,000 to more than $315,000 as Speaker.
How can our "representatives" feel with "hard working Australians" struggling with increased rent, electricity, grocery bills, child-care and fuel prices?
How can they possibly relate to pensioners having to choose between necessary medications, heating their home or even food?
Or self-funded retirees whose income has fallen, due to interest rate reductions and a share market decline of 12% in the last 12 months.
How can they identify with a worker who has to put fuel in the car, so he can go to work, knowing that his children went to school without breakfast?
We have to pay our politicians a decent pay, but when their pay-increase is more than our minimum wage, they are no longer capable of understanding the struggles the rest of us face.

27/07/2011. Shell today confirmed its decision to stop refining operations at its 79,000 barrel-per-day Clyde Refinery in Sydney.
Refining at Clyde will cease prior to mid-2013. The Clyde refinery and Gore Bay will be converted into import-only terminal operations.
The decision to close the refinery will have far reaching consequences :
Shell currently employs over 300 workers and around 200 contractors on site.
In addition to this, Shell draws on a network of firms in finance, logistics, engineering and IT. The refinery directly supports the local polypropylene plant with 57 employees, which produces plastic products for the automobile and household sectors.
The company states that the closure is not the result of the proposed carbon tax.
However, although oil refineries will qualify for free carbon permits, it is not enough to cover all carbon emissions (and the tax will grow), and any cost increase in a fiercely competitive market is damaging.

03/06/2010. Xstrata, which last month halted some copper exploration in Queensland, said it was now also immediately suspending
A$586 million of expenditure to develop both the A$6 billion Wandoan thermal coal project and a A$600 million project, to extend the life of the Ernest Henry copper mine.
The company says the two projects would have created 3,250 new jobs which have now been put at risk.

The difference between this announcement and the Fortescue suspended iron ore projects is that Xstrata projects are projects where spending had already been approved.

RMS (former RTA) Live Traffic

17/02/2012. As part of national jobs cuts and re-allocations, commercial airline Qantas will close its Adelaide-based catering operations, with 150 job losses expected.
SA Employment Minister Tom Kenyon expressed hope for the future of the affected workers.
"It's disappointing to see South Australians losing jobs."

12/12/2011. From the 1st of November 2011, NSW Maritime and the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) were "wound up" and renamed the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS).
Rather than actually fix the congestion and infrastructure problems plaguing our city, it was better to adopt a new name and logo and move on.
Same potholes, raising tolls, unfunded road tunnel projects, but a new name.

10/03/2009. John Willis lost his job as captain of a Gippsland brigade for swearing on emergency radio during the Black Saturday bushfire crisis.
John was battling a fire that had already claimed 50% of his own dairy farm and was threatening a house.

The CFA said the firefighter, who has 40 years experience, (has travelled on his own time to hundreds of fires - in Victoria and interstate - and worked at car accidents, storms and other emergencies, saving countless lives) was stripped of his rank after at least two outbursts during last month's tragic inferno.

"He wasn't a suitable person to represent his brigade, let alone CFA in a senior role," Mr Hogan said. "He's got a history of that sort of behaviour."

In our opinion, when John is willing to put his own life on the line to save someone else or their property, he may swear to his heart’s content.

This volunteer was fighting fires, some deliberately lit, where flames four storeys high, raced across the land like a speeding train, wiping out towns within an hour and where so far 210 people died.

And he swore.

It is not as if he was doing a cooking show on national television.

Victorian Bushfires

13/02/2009. Many lives lost, many families left with nothing.

People who have lost everything are helping each other.
Neighbours helping neighbours.
Over $65 million has so far been raised.
All over the world there is coverage.

Queenslanders, after two thirds of their State was (and still is) flooded, receiving Government assistance, have donated part or all of it to Victorians.

Companies like Coles, DJ and others are donating a full day’s profit.

Dairy farmers who lost their stock make their equipment available to those who lost their equipment.
Volunteer fire-fighters were saving lives and property, while their own home burnt to the ground.
Truckies, delivering donated food, blankets and clothing, are donating their time and part of their pay.

Our cricket team has given up time to raise the spirits of the survivors.

12/12/2008. "Small business will get an 'effective' tax cut by deferring part of their next tax installment", PM Kevin Rudd says.Businesses with an annual turnover under $2 million will be allowed to postpone 20 per cent of their next Pay As You Go (PAYG) tax installment - due in January and February - until annual tax returns fall due in July.This is not a tax cut. It's a deferral, and not a reduction, of tax liabilities.
Typically, businesses estimate in advance how much tax they will pay each quarter. These estimates can be varied downwards each quarter but most business operators do not bother, preferring to reconcile their return at the end of the financial year.

12/11/2008. The Federal Government's stalled FuelWatch plan to regulate petrol prices has finally been killed in the Senate with the upper house voting against the legislation this morning.
Independent Nick Xenophon was the crucial vote.
The scheme was to start on the 15th of December and would have cost $20.9 million over 4 years.

11/06/2008. PM Kevin Rudd yesterday pledged $35 million to Toyota from Labor's new Green Car Innovation Fund as an incentive to assemble the Hybrid Camry at the Altona facility in Victoria.Victoria matched the $35 million.To us this sounds like policy on the run. No inquiry and no HCC (Hybrid Car Commissioner). Also, according to last month's budget, the Green Car Innovation Fund (for which guidelines have not yet been developed) does not start operating until 2011.Toyota announced it would have build the cars here "with or without assistance".

07/06/2008. A SUCCESSION of interest rate rises is blamed for the greatest single drop in Australian house prices on record.
The national median house price lost nearly $13,000 in the first quarter of this year.Home prices may slide further this year after housing affordability deteriorated in the first quarter to the worst on record, according to a separate report by the real estate institute published May 28.

Wages, House Prices and Petrol

16/05/2008. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that Adult average wage has increased by 4.8 % over the 12 months to Feb 2008.
The Capital Cities House price Index rose 13.8% over 12 months to Mar 2008.
In the 12 months to Feb 2008 petrol has increased from $1.06 to $1.46.
An increase of 40 cents or 37.7 %.